Members of Athens City Council who were sworn in Monday at an organizational meeting are, from left, Chris Seibert, District 1; Harold Wales, District 2; Jimmy Gill, District 3; Wayne Harper, District 5; and Joseph Cannon, District 4. (Kelly Kazek/kkazek@al.com)

ATHENS, Alabama - The fallout from a vote by members of the previous Athens City Council to raise sales tax dogged the two remaining members Monday night as a new council was seated.

In a meeting that should have included rubber-stamping of formalities - swearing in of new members and naming of a new president and president pro temp - two new councilmen asked for a change in procedure before voting for a new president.

After all members were sworn in, former police chief Wayne Harper, who was elected to represent District 5, made a motion to elect Harold Wales president. Wales has served two previous terms on the council and ran unopposed this year.

Chris Seibert, newly elected to represent District 1, and Joseph Cannon from District 4, said they would prefer to keep the current council president, Jimmy Gill, through the end of the year until they developed working relationships with the other members. Gill was sworn in for his sixth term and has served as president several times.

Seibert asked for Gill's term to be extended until "we could make a more informed decision."

Cannon said he'd received "suggestions, emails and opinions" from residents in the wake of an Oct. 22 vote to increase sales tax in Athens from 8 percent to 9 percent. The previous council - which included Dr. Milly Caudle, Mignon Bowers and Jim Hickman, along with Wales and Gill - approved the increase to start Jan. 1 by a vote of 4 to 1. Hickman's was the lone dissenting vote.

Several residents have circulated emails to council members and the press saying they want "new leadership" within the council.

Cannon said waiting to vote for a president would give members time to "have a working experience with each other."

However, Wales said he felt a change was needed right away. "Not because President Gill has not been a good president but I think it's time we gave the city a new face to represent the council," he said.

The motion to make Wales president passed by a vote of 3 to 2, with Seibert and Cannon voting against.

Wales said he felt everyone on the council should have a chance to serve as president. "I feel like I'm ready," he said. "I want to lead this council into the next 12 months."

Gill was named president pro temp.

The next meeting of the Athens City Council will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the courtroom at Athens Police Department on Hobbs Street.